Corrections officer at Oregon women's prison accused of having sex with inmate

A corrections officer at the state women's prison is accused of having sex with a female inmate.

Edgar P. Mickles, 50, was arrested Wednesday and scheduled for arraignment Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court on suspicion of two counts of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct. He is accused of having sex with the woman at least twice while she was in custody between Dec. 15, 2015, and Feb. 1, court records show.

Mickles has been an officer at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville since May 2013, said Vicki Reynolds, the prison's spokeswoman. She said she didn't know his current job status and declined further comment, citing the investigation.

The Oregon Department of Corrections "worked diligently to provide critical evidence" to state police in the case and is cooperating in the investigation, the agency said in a statement.

Julia Yoshimoto, the Oregon Justice Resource Center's Women in Prison Project director, said the organization is "deeply concerned" about the allegations.

"The facility has a well-documented history of problems with inappropriate relationships between staff and the women who are imprisoned there," Yoshimoto said in a statement.

"While the details of this particular situation are not yet public - and Officer Mickles has not been convicted - we think it's important to highlight that sexual relationships between inmates and staff are illegal with good reason," Yoshimoto said.

State police said the department notified them in February of potential misconduct by Mickles. The investigation continues, they said in a news release.